Timing device



Sept. 30, 1941. K. E. BEMlS TIMING DEVICE Filed Sept. 10, 1940 j/yuen/or Patented Sept. 30, 1941 UNETE STATES PATENT OFFICE TIMINGDEVICE Kenneth E. Bemis, Oakland, Calif. Application September 10,1940, Serial No. 356,138

3 Claims.

This invention, a timing device, combines in a single unit manually adjustable timing means, means for operating and controlling operation of a device, and driving means for driving both, the timing means and operating means.

This device is extremely simple in construction, consisting only of the driving means and control means for the driving means, and a clutch and a dial with the dial functioning coincidently as one element of the clutch and as the operating means.

In customary types of timers the timer merely controls the operation of a device while this invention initiates operation through manual adjustment of the timing means and the timing means itself forms the operating means for another device which is controlled by the timing means.

The objects of the invention are as follows:

First, to provide a combined timing and operating device which coincidently times an operation and forms the driving means for conducting the operation of an associated device.

Second, to provide a device as outlined in which the combined timing and operating means consists of a simple combination of driving means, a combination clutch and dial, and means for terminating operation of the driving means at the completion of a cycle of operation.

Third, to provide a device as outlined in which the adjustments of time periods ar accomplished by means of the time indicating dial and in which the dial includes means to function as driving means for a device being timed.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanying drawing in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1 with onehalf of the invention shown in section.

Fig. 3 shows a modification of the invention shown on a reduced scale.

Fig. 4. is another modification shown on a reduced scale.

Fig. 5 is a modification of the releasing means for the driving means and is a side elevation of the releasing means shown on the right hand portion of Fig. 4.

The invention consists of a shaft which is driven at a low speed, such as by a very slow speed or internally-geared motor H or from a line shaft I2, and on which shaft H] is secured a clutch plate [3 which may be provided with any suitable clutching means, such as jaws, teeth, friction material, or the circular series of holes M. This clutch plate l3 has a hub [5 which projects outwardly to the end of the shaft I0.

Mounted on the hub i5 is a dial I6 which is bored as indicated at IT to rotatably fit the hub 55, and counterbored as indicated at I8 to form a pocket for the spring 19 which urges the dial into cooperation with the clutch plate. A pin 20 is secured in the dial and fits in any of the apertures 14 thus completing the clutch. A finger 2i is integral with and projects from the periphery of the dial, and a graduated scale 22 surrounds the dial and is graduated in time intervals. A disc 23 is secured to the end of the shaft iii by means of a screw 24 and functions as a bearing for the counterbore in the dial and principally to retain the spring and form a thrust member therefor. The parts so far described complete the simplest form of the invention.

In the modification Fig. 3, a hub 25 projects rearwardly from the clutch plate and a lever 26 has a bore which is rotatable on this hub, and a pin 21 is fixed in the lever in a position cooperatively related to the finger 2|, thus the movement of a device to be operated can be increased over that which is possible through the medium of the finger alone.

In Fig. 4 two modifications of the releasing means for the driving means is illustrated, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the modification shown in the right hand assembly of Fig. 4. With these arrangements any number of timers and devices can be operated by a single driving means such as the motor 28. The motor shaft 29 is coupled to the lin shaft I2 and has the bevel gears 30 or 3| mounted thereon and which cooperate with the mating gears 32 or 33.

The gear 30 is shown with a clutch hub 34 which cooperates with a cone 35 to frictionally drive the gear 30, and the intensity of driving action is controlled by the spring 33 which is adjustable as to tension by means of the collar 31. The gear 30 drives the shaft in through the gear 32 until the finger 2| engages a stop, following which the cone 35 slips on the hub 34 until the dial is reset for another cycle of operation.

In the right hand modification of Fig. 4 and in Fig. 5, the gear 3| is fixed on the line shaft [2 and drives the gear 33 which is free on the shaft Ill, continuously. The gear 33 has a hub 38 which is rotatable in the bearing 39 and which hub terminates in a clutch member 40 and this clutch member normally cooperates with .a clutch block 4| and which is slidable but not rotatable on the shaft l0, and suitable means such as the spring 42 urges the engagement between the clutch face on the hub 40 and the clutch face on the clutch block.

Where a separate motor is provided for each timer, the type of stop shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is preferred. In this arrangement a Microswitch 43 is mounted in cooperative relation to the finger 2| or to interposed operatively associated means, such as the lever 26 of Fig. 3 or the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which a lifter bar 44 is used for lifting a broiler grid from the top of a stove, as described in my Patent 2,232,203, issued February 18, 1941, and for other purposes.

This bar is slidably mounted in guides 45 and has a shoe 46 which may be either adjustably mounted thereon as indicated at 41, or releasably mounted as disclosed in the previously mentioned copending application, and this shoe is mounted in cooperative relation to the finger 2!. This same shoe can be used for controlling the Microswitch 43, or a separate shoe 48 may be provided, and which may also be adjustable as indicated at 48. The Microswitch is shown in a cooperative position relative to the shoe 48. A spring 50 normally depresses the plunger 5| of the normally-open circuit switch to keep the circuit closed, while the shoe 48 in its up travel eventually lifts this spring and permits the microswitch to open the circuit which it controls.

The operation of the device is as follows: The dial [6 is normally positioned with the finger 2| located as indicated by the dotted figure 2| with the shoe 45 in the position 46 and the shoe 48 in the position 48, with the spring 50 raised sufficiently to permit the switch 43 to open, thus the circuit to the motor I l is broken.

The knob 52 on the dial is drawn out against the action of the spring i9 and rotated to register the indicator 53 with the desired time calibration 54 and released, upon which the pin 28 drops into the aligning hole l4. As soon as the dial is moved for adjustment, the finger 2i releases the shoe 46 permitting the bar 44 to drop and thus the shoe 48 releases the spring 58 which depresses the plunger 51 to close the switch which completes circuit from the line wire 55 through the switch thence through wire 58 to motor ll, thence to the other line wire 51, which starts operation of the motor and which motor slowly drives the dial back to its original and normal position.

During the latter part of the movement of the dial, the finger 2! again engages the shoe 46 and lifts the bar 44 until the shoe 48 again lifts the spring 50 which releases the plunger 5| to break the circuit to the motor. Thus each time the dial is adjusted the timing device is set into operation and the dial, through the finger 2|, forms the driving means, control means and operating means for an associated device, such as the bar 44 or lever 26 and their associated mechanism.

In the left hand modification of Fig. 4, the switch 43 is omitted, since the clutch 34-35 merely slips when the finger 2i has reached a stop such as the spring 59 considered as a rigid fixed member, while in the modification shown at the right side of Fig. 4 and in Fig. 5, the clutch lever 58 which is mounted intermediate its ends in the bearing 59 and which has a finger 60 for cooperation with the shoe 48, is substituted for the spring 50. Thus when the shoe approaches its uppermost position it engages the finger 60 of the lever 58 and withdraws the clutch block 4| from engagement with the clutch face of the hub 40, and when the dial is again adjusted, the dropping of the bar releases the shoe from the finger 5D and the spring 4| urges and causes engagement between the clutch elements 404l for operation of the timing means and for driving the associated device which is controlled by the timing means.

I claim:

1. A timing device comprising; a shaft; a clutch plate mounted on said shaft and having a hub; a dial mounted on said hub and relatively rotatable; cooperative clutching means on said plate and said dial; means for manually adjusting said dial relative to said clutch plate; a driving member on said dial; means for driving said clutch plate; a spring mounted about said hub within a counterbore formed within the dial and urging the dial to cooperate with said clutch plate and permitting manual retraction of the dial relative to the clutch plate for adjustment of one relative to the other.

2. A timing device comprising; a shaft; a clutch plate mounted on said shaft and having a hub; a dial mounted on said hub and relatively rotatable; cooperative clutching means on said plate and said dial; means for manually adjusting said dial relative to said clutch plate; a driving member on said dial; means for driving said clutch plate; said clutch plate being provided with a circular series of holes and said dial having a pin to engage in any one of said holes and forming in combination the cooperative clutching means; said hub rotatably fitting in a bore formed axially in the dial; and a spring cooperating between the end of said shaft and the dial and urging the dial into clutching cooperation with the clutch plate.

3. A timing device comprising; a shaft and means for driving said shaft; a disc fixedly mounted on said shaft and having a circular series of apertures formed in the front face thereof and an axial hub; a dial having a knob for manual retraction and rotary adjustment, and a bore rotatably fitting said hub, and a counterbore forming a spring housing; a pin projecting from the rear face of said dial and engageable in any one of said apertures; a thrust washer fixed on the end of said shaft; a spring in said counterbore and reacting against the bottom of said counterbore and said thrust washer to press said dial against said disc; a driving member integral with said dial for driving a device to be operated; and means cooperatively related to said driving member and cooperating therewith following predetermined rotational operation of said dial for terminating operation of said driving means when said driving member has reached a predetermined position.

KENNETH E. BEMIS. 

